Recovery Effort Resumes... In 115 Foot Water
The search for victims in Monday
afternoon's mid-air collision over the Pacific off the California
coast was called off late Tuesday. The US Coast Guard says the
mission has been reclassified as a recovery effort, and underwater
teams will attempt to locate the wreckage and bodies in water up to
115 feet deep off Long Beach.
The FAA reports that the collision involved an LGB Based
Cessna 172 (file photo, below), from Aero Aviation, carrying an
unidentified flight instructor and student. The other plane was a
Cessna 310 (illustrated last, below) twin thought to have been
occupied only by its pilot and owner, 53-year-old Gary Gierczak of
Los Alamitos, a husband and father of two.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, and
says both planes had taken off from Long Beach Airport. The
underwater search will involve personnel from the Coast Guard, LA
County Sheriff and city and county fire departments, and Long Beach
FD.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 738NN Make/Model: C172 Description: 172, P172, R172,
Skyhawk, Hawk XP, Cutla
Date: 05/19/2009 Time: 0101
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: Y Missing:
N
Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
City: TORRANCE State: CA Country: US
DESCRIPTION
N738NN, A CESSNA 172N AIRCRAFT, AND N777AL, A CESSNA 310P AIRCRAFT,
COLLIDED OVER THE OCEAN, THE COAST GUARD HAS LOCATED A DEBRIS FIELD
AND THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR PERSONS ON BOARD, 9 MILES FROM
TORRANCE, CA
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 2 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk: 2
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
WEATHER: NOT REPORTED
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: LONG BEACH, CA (WP05) Entry date: 05/20/2009
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 777AL Make/Model: C310 Description: 310, T310 (U-3,
L-27)
Date: 05/19/2009 Time: 0101
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: Y
Missing:
Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
City: TORRANCE State: CA Country: US
DESCRIPTION
N738NN, A CESSNA 172N AIRCRAFT, AND N777AL, A CESSNA 310P AIRCRAFT,
COLLIDED OVER THE OCEAN, THE COAST GUARD HAS LOCATED A DEBRIS FIELD
AND THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR PERSONS ON BOARD, 9 MILES FROM
TORRANCE, CA
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk: 1
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
WEATHER: NOT REPORTED
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: Other
FAA FSDO: LONG BEACH, CA (WP05) Entry date: 05/20/2009